Wanted: Dead or Alive

I watched a 1959 episode of “Wanted: Dead or Alive” early this morning. Steve McQueen plays bounty hunter Josh Randall. Don't believe for a moment that bounty hunting hardens you to the point of losing your humanity. Just look at Josh. In this installment, Josh finds a boy out in a field, passed out and feverish. He does the right thing and immediately takes him into the doctor in town. (The doctor was also a school teacher on “Leave it to Beaver” and a prosecuting attorney on “Perry Mason”...so apparently he was a very accomplished man.) Anyway, the doctor knows the boy and knows that the boy's dad hates doctors ever since his own father died on the operating table when a different doctor couldn't save him from a fatal disease. Says that this “Appendicitis” the doctor is talking about is no more than “a bunch of fancy words”. Now only the crazy old medicine woman is allowed to touch the boy. She wears rags and talks to herself, uses frogs to make her potions. Dad had rescued the boy from the doc's clutches and brought him back home on a rough road for the old crone to hover over. But Josh won't stand still and watch the boy die. That's the kind of guy he is. Josh fights the boy's Dad and keeps him outside the cabin after Mom gives permission to operate. They need to do it right there on the kitchen table, the boy is just too weak to go back into the doc's office in town again since Dad “rescued” him and weakened him even more (thanks Dad!). Mom asks: “What can I do to help” Doc says: (here's a surprise) “I'll need plenty of hot water!” Mom can do that and even stands by and dutifully hands the scalpel to the Doc (with her bare hands) No anesthesia, no alcohol, no sutures, clamps, needles, thread for stitches, just plenty of hot water. I guess Doc always carries that scalpel in his back pocket, uses it to clean under his nails. Dad is still outside, mad as a hornet at Josh for his meddling, until the doc finally comes out and says the boy will be OK, thanks to Josh Randall. Dad rushes in and sees his son, clean, looking like he just took a shower back at the actor's trailer, now tucked into a warm bed. The son opens his eyes at his father's touch and smiles at his Dad. Music swells, Dad is contrite, Josh is humbled. Mom is proud that her hubby realizes what a turd he has been and she makes a mental note to not let dad use Mr Happy on her at any time in the near future.

This is not light stuff. There's lots to be learned from all of this. Like the fact that Josh Randall is more than just a bounty hunter, he's a tough guy with a heart of gold.

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